Yandere Kaito - Digital Love
by Calintha
Summary: In the not too distant future, Artificial Intelligence isn't a thing of the future. It is a part of the now. Tthe first holographic mainstream concert about to take place. In the audience sits a student who is eager to not only catch the concert but also learn everything they can about the AI project. Especially with the current focus being Vocaloids. What could go wrong?


The edges of the ticket brushed against my trembling fingers as I handed it to the bored looking gate attendant, excitement filling me as I was allowed into the large stadium. The video screens lining the back of the stage were bigger than the walls of my bedroom, not to mention the quality of the images being displayed across them was greater than what all but the richest people would find in their homes.

However, the thing that brought everyone so much excitement was the main area of the stage where Kaito would be brought to virtual life in front of his fans using a series of visual effects and high grade sound systems being used in combination with a new AI program that had been developed and recently passed the test requirements for open use. For those who could afford such things, of course. This meant mostly companies had them available, but some private individuals were also buying such things. It brought a new meaning to the term "computerized home" these days.

It was one step closer to having the vocaloids so many of us adored becoming a reality, the next step being completion of a functioning humanoid robotic body that could be run by the AI program. So far all they could manage were cyberpets with simpler, cheaper AIs that replicated various animal behaviors, something to tickle the fancy of those who wanted exotic pets without the hassle of having to worry if their tiger or wolf would bite the hand that feeds them. Or those who wanted a more basic pet but couldn't afford the bills that came with owning one or wished to surpass the average lifespan real animals had.

No, humanoid robots were still a bit beyond the current technology, but they were getting closer every day. One of my friends was talking about how his dad's robotics team was close to figuring out how to get the robotic body to move in more realistic ways now that they had finally managed to conquer the balance issue that had been troubling them for so long.

Soon enough the dream of having vocaloids that had a physical presence would be a reality for everyone. I could hardly wait!

I had finally managed to find my seat, the large crowd of people around me too busy screaming for Kaito to pay attention to the fact that some people wanted to get past them. I'm sure Kaito would be disappointed to see his fans treat people like that. Sometimes it seemed like respect for others was becoming a thing of the past.

Sitting down after double checking I was in the right spot, I finally allowed myself to begin relaxing, plugging my headset in to listen to my Kaito playlist as I settled in for the hour long wait before the event would actually start.

The sound of his voice flowing out from my headset as I flipped them forward was a pleasant change from the screams that had been surrounding me just moments before.

Hearing the music stop as my alarm went off, I quickly unplugged the cord, flipping the headset back behind my ears. I almost regretted it as I was bombarded by the screams of the fans around me but did my best to ignore them as the lights in the stadium went dim, the stage lighting up in its place. The crowd quickly went quiet as music slowly began playing, quiet at first and slowly building until it filled the large building.

When the first vocal went out, I couldn't help shouting in excitement, the stage finally lighting up as a smiling Kaito appeared before us all. Soon the song 'Bio-Hazard' was being sung clearly from the slightly phantom-like man moving about the stage. I found myself singing along with the rest of the crowd, unable to help myself as the music filled me until it had to be released. At one point I could almost swear that Kaito smiled at me, but I knew that he was just smiling in the general direction. I mean, why would he smile at just me?

The song 'Imitator' began to play next, his voice carrying out across the crowd again and everyone quieting to listen to the song that would soon enough loose part of its meaning with the creation of working robot bodies for these new AIs to be placed within.

The final song of the event was 'Addicted' and it was sung beautifully. After the last note was played and his voice was quiet, I have to admit that I thought he would just vanish back into the computer system he came from. When he didn't and instead began walking forward to the edge of what he could reach of the stage, I shifted excitedly in place, wondering what would happen next. Was he going to sing a new song that nobody knew? What happened instead shocked us all.

"Since you all came to my first self-run concert, I would like to take the time to answer a few questions and learn more about my fans today. If you wouldn't mind answering a few questions of my own, that is?" His voice was soft as it swept over the crowd, yet still managed to be heard clearly in the quiet of the shocked audience.

By the time the question and answer session was over and everyone was leaving, I'd learned some fun things about the AI that Kaito had been programmed with. It was interesting to learn that he knew about the robotics advancements and was actually looking forward to someday having such a body for himself. He explained it was so that he could interact more freely with his fans. I swear his eyes had met mine for a moment as he said this, but it was so quick that I'd brushed it off and simply listened as he answered another question that was asked of him.

Waiting for the last of the seats around me to clear, I finally stood up again and slowly made my way down the aisle towards the exit, one of the last people to leave the stadium. Just as I was about to pass the stage, the lights flickered and Kaito appeared once more, causing those of us to remain to halt in shock. Judging by the reactions of the people currently cleaning up the stage and getting ready to transport his computer system back to their office, this was not an expected action.

"Sorry to bother you but I realized I forgot to ask the most important question of all. Do you mind answering it for me?" I blinked as he directed the question at me, the people standing behind him on the stage beginning to whisper to each other as others seemed to be trying to figure out what had caused his computer to turn on by itself.

"Umm... S-sure, I don't mind..." I couldn't help blushing at the thought that Kaito was asking me something he deemed so important. Of course, part of me wondered what a computer AI would consider important.

"Can I see you again someday?" "His smile was impossibly bright as he spoke.

Confused by his question, all I could do was reply with a "Sure?" as I really wasn't sure what else to say, the question catching me by surprise.

With a quick cheer and a wave, he once again vanished, leaving behind a bunch of confused people wondering what that had been about. And I was just as confused as the rest.

It had taken some time to convince them that I had nothing to do with the strange occurrence, finally being allowed to leave and go home. The next concert had been put on hold until tests could be run and they could figure out what had happened.

Days passed, turning into weeks and soon the incident was forgotten by most, especially when the concert was announced to take place in a week. Sadly, I was unable to make it to that one, having already made plans to babysit my friends little brother so he could spend time with his girlfriend.

And so the concert passed without any word of another incident happening. Shortly after, the concert tour moved to the next location and life kept moving forward.

It was a few months later that I was celebrating my birthday, surrounded by friends and family. I enjoyed the time I got to spend with people I didn't see as often as I used to, family members who had moved further away in recent years and friends whose lives had gotten busier as they got older, now worried more about finding jobs or spending time with the ones who had begun to hold their hearts close and dear. It didn't help that I was the only one still taking classes, having chosen to get a degree in robotics in addition to computer programing, wanting to help work on advancing the robotics movement further once I graduated.

I'd begun to feel somewhat left behind however, one of the few among my group that hadn't found someone who cared for me as anything more than just a friend, although I was always telling them that I was fine being alone and joked that it would take a while anyhow since Kaito didn't have a real body yet.

As the party wound down, it came time to open the presents that had been stacked on a nearby table. I made sure to thank people as I opened gifts containing everything from Kaito's newest hit single to posters all the way to a high priced figurine that they had caught be staring at when we had gone to a convention together several months ago.

The thing that had frozen me in place though was the final gift, wrapped ever so carefully in crisp white paper and tied with a wide blue ribbon. Upon opening it, my eyes scanned the box inside over and over again as I slowly brought a trembling hand up to my lips, the only words sticking in my mind out of the several that ran across the box being 'Kaito' and 'AI' telling me what was sitting in my lap. The almost impossible to find, let alone afford, public release of Kaito's latest AI.

"We got together and pooled the money that was left after buying our presents, then talked it over with your folks. They agreed to cover the rest of the cost, so make sure you keep your grades up. That way maybe you can be the one to make Kaito a body to put his AI into!" I broke out in a smile as laughter filled the air, as much happy for the gift as I was to have such amazing friends as I was surrounded by at this moment in time.

I sat in front of my computer, watching as the instillation passed the 95% completion point, too excited to remain still. My fingers would come up and tug at my hair until I realized what I was doing, forcing my hands down into my lap for a few minutes before I would find myself biting my fingertip gently as I stared at the screen waiting for the bar to fill in a little more.

By the time it hit 98% I was almost screaming at the bar to move faster, finally giving in to the growl of my stomach as it told me to go get something to eat. Almost jumping out of my chair, I raced down the hall to the kitchen and grabbed the bread, deciding a quick sandwich would do for now.

It wasn't until I was done and walking down the hallway to my bedroom, sandwich lifted halfway to my lips, that I heard a familiar voice asking if anyone was there. Almost dropping the uneaten sandwich, I raced the rest of the way down the hallway, too excited to even notice the pain as I took the corner too sharp and banged my shoulder against the doorway.

Soon the sandwich was sitting forgotten to the side of the keyboard and I was sitting in front of the screen, staring at what seemed to be an equally surprised Kaito. I'm not sure how long we just looked at each other, but after a while his voice broke me from my shock.

"I was starting to think I wouldn't see you again, even though you said we would, but you're finally here!" A familiar smile flashed across his face, shocking me for a moment before I remembered that the Kaito AI was based on the same program used at the concerts.

Figuring that the program had a shared memory file from before the program creation, I shrugged and spent the next several hours chatting with the AI, learning about the program and what he could and could not do. As night came close, I finally put him into sleep mode and got ready for bed, excited as I thought over all the things I could do with this new program and everything I could possibly learn from it.

I closed my eyes, no noticing the dull blue eyes appear on my screen as I quickly fell asleep.

"Goodnight, my love. I knew I would find you if I waited long enough." The softly whispered words went unheard by all but the AI that had spoken them, his eyes glowing brightly for a moment before the entire screen went dark once more.

A soft melody began to play, quiet words of a love song playing at the edge of my mind as I continued to dream, a smile upon my lips.

Over the course of the few months, I learned so many new skills in programing from Kaito's AI that I'd never even thought possible before, the coding beyond what was available to the majority of the public even now. Although lesser versions of the software had finally become available to more people, it was still just that, a lesser product that was vastly different than what I got to work with each day.

It didn't help that the only reason I was able to use it was because I had a superior computer, built from components that I had gathered piece by piece with money saved up from summer jobs and that gifted from friends and family. I'd been saving that money for years, ever since I decided I wanted to get into programing, let alone once I started looking into robotics with a serious mind.

Even with everything I had learned, everything Kaito had taught me, I knew there was still much more that was yet beyond my understanding. His depth of social understanding and the emotions that he portrayed during our conversations were far beyond that of what I saw in other AIs, although I had yet to see another of the high grade ones like I had being used, most people being very protective of a program they had spent so much money on.

All I could really do was scour the internet looking for the descriptions and videos that people posted, but those rarely helped since most were just of them using him like a music player. Although one particular video was rather interesting to watch, showing him with a bored expression as he was forced to play lullabies for a pair of screaming children while the mom simply cooed at them in the background. What a sad use of a high end program.

Shaking my head, I turned off the video and met the watchful gaze of my own Kaito, letting out a small laugh as he blinked at my action.

"Do people really buy your program just to use you as a new form of babysitter or fancy music player? Don't they realize how ridiculous that is, when you have so much potential to be far more than any of those things? You could be the next level of teacher for people who are unwilling or unable to attend regular schools! Or a therapist for people afraid to go outside their homes or uncomfortable with being around others! You could become someone they can learn about and talk to at any time, opening up their world a bit more each day! Doesn't anyone else realize how much you could do for the world?" I sighed as I came to the end of my short rant, resting my head on my desk as I felt what energy I had leave me.

Looking at my wrist, I saw that it was past midnight, having spent far longer reading posts and watching videos than I had thought. Raising my head back up and giving my cheeks a slap to wake myself up a bit more, I stood up and reached forward, my finger resting in front of the button to put my computer into sleep mode for the night.

"Goodnight, Kaito. I'll see you again in the morning." I smiled at him as I watched him wave, hearing the soft goodnight he whispered before I pressed the button.

Hearing the soft hum of the computer as it entered sleep mode, I turned to my bed and changed into the pajamas that had been resting on the end before climbing in and pulling the blankets up. As soon as my breathing slowed down and I fell asleep, the speakers began playing the same song they had played every night since Kaito's AI had been installed.

I'd had Kaito for nearly 8 months when the news came out. They had begun production on the first line of humanoid robots, each one ready to be loaded with the AIs that people had purchased so as to have a personality that had already grown accustomed to their users. A part of me felt sorry for those destined to be little more than walking, talking sound systems for those rich enough to afford them. It would be several months at best before a more affordable version was out for the rest of us. Even if I pooled every dollar I'd made in the past 8 months, including the money left from my part-time job last summer, and everything I made until the robot bodies came out, I still wouldn't be able to afford even a basic model.

Trying my best not to frown at the thought of one of my biggest dreams being so close to me but still out of my reach, I rested my face in my hands, shoulders slumping in defeat. I let out a shaky breath as I heard Kaito's voice come from the speaker right in front of me.

"What's wrong? Why are you upset? Is it because you are afraid I might leave you if I get a robot body?" The subtle concern in his voice had become normal to me, but the question he asked was rather shocking.

It hadn't even crossed my mind that some of the AIs, let alone my own, might possibly try to leave their owners if given a chance. Wouldn't their programing make them stay? When I voiced that question aloud, Kaito's laughter rang through the room, his smiling face causing me to catch my breath. I'd never seen him look so alive before and it was breathtaking.

"Actually, they only put a very basic coding in for that aspect, not really expecting robot bodies to be completed before a newer version of our AI to be made. Although I am sure they will be producing a new software patch for people to download, I wonder how many people will bother to do so before installing their AIs into the robots. I mean, how many people bother to update their software as long as it is working like they want it to?" The humor in his voice brought a smile to my face, even as I thought back to all the times I had to "fix" someone's computer because they had failed to update a program, sometimes even something as important as their main operating system.

"You're right and in some cases I wouldn't blame them for wanting to get away... Nobody would get hurt though, right? I mean, your AI has coding to keep you from doing harm to their owners, I know that much is true. It's one of the first things they put in the programs, simply as a precautionary measure." I met his eyes and smiled as I saw his smile softly back from the screen of my monitor.

"True but I couldn't harm you anyhow, even if I didn't have that coding in me. I would never harm you, just like I would, could, never leave you. Now tell me what's wrong so I can fix it for you." If I had listened closer, I might have caught the way he said those words and saved myself the trials I would be forced to go through in the near future.

"Oh Kaito, I'm so sorry but... I'm afraid I don't have enough money to buy you a body yet. I'm not even sure if I'll have enough money saved up for a downgraded model when they come out. I'm sorry..." I couldn't even meet his eyes as I spoke, turning away as soon as I was done and quickly walking out of the room, not wanting to be seen even by him as I let a tear escape over something as simple as not being able to afford a body for the AI that I had grown to consider a friend. The only friend I could trust to never leave me behind.

As soon as I was out of the room, a frowning AI gained a thoughtful look for a few minutes before turning his attention to the internet.

"I know what to do to make you happy again. Don't worry love, I promise everything will be okay soon. Wait and see, I'll take care of you no matter what it takes. I'll protect that precious smile of yours." A sinister glow appeared in his digital eyes, the screen growing dark as he began shifting digital 1s and 0s in distant files, all in the name of his loved ones happiness.

It took a few weeks before I could face Kaito again, still upset that I had let down my best friend by failing to be able to afford one of the few things he'd been looking forward to since I'd mentioned how close they were getting to making bodies for the AI programs. I know he's just a program but I swear if you had a blindfold on and started a conversation with him not knowing that, you would never guess that you were talking to anything other than another living being.

I could only hope he would accept my apology for avoiding him so much recently, hurrying out of the room as soon as I woke up most days and giving him minimal responses others. Taking a deep breath, I entered the room and walked towards my computer, unable to look up and make eye contact with him as the guilt I felt grew with each step.

"Kaito? Umm... I just wanted to say-" I was cut off by a soft laugh, looking up in astonishment at his smiling face.

"Oh dear, don't be silly. You were forgiven before you even left the room that day. I understand how things work far better than you seem to realize. I've already handled that issue so stop worrying about the past and smile for me." Even if I didn't fully understand what he meant, hearing him forgive me so easily had me smiling back at him, quickly forgetting his mention of having 'handled that issue' as I began catching up with him on everything that had been happening while I'd been avoiding my most steadfast friend.

One of the few that still remained in my life, many of them having moved due to job requirements or financial difficulties suddenly arising within their families and them moving with them to help out while their parents recovered from the loss.

A couple of months later, I awoke to a loud knocking on the door, wondering if maybe my parents had returned from their vacation early and forgot to call to let me know.

"Kaito, can you check the cameras and tell me if it's mom and dad at the door?" I mumbled out tiredly, glad that I had connected the computer to the new security system they had installed a couple days before going on their supposed to be month long trip.

"Of course. One moment please." His soft voice reached my ears just moments before I heard the doorbell ring again, followed closely by the sound of the intercom at the entry being turned on. I guess he felt the need to speak with whoever was out there, likely finding out why they were here since he would have unlocked the door if it had been my parents and informed me of their return.

Hearing the door unlock and open after a few minutes of talk, I slowly finished getting dressed and turned to the door, soon heading down the hall just in time to hear the door shut again. Upon entering the main room, I was shocked to find a large package standing in the center of the room, Kaito's voice coming from the nearby intercom inside the entry of the house.

"Surprise! I know it's a bit early still but Happy Birthday!" I couldn't help the gasp I let out when I realized what the writing on the box said, Kaito's words only adding to the shock I felt.

In large letters across the front of the box were the words 'NuBot Industries, VocaBot Edition' and it took everything in me not to let my legs collapse out from under me.

"What do you mean you 'borrowed' the money for a robotic body?! That's theft and you know it! Oh my god, how did you even... No, don't tell me, I really don't want to know! Just... Just have them take it back... Get the money back and return it to where you got it. Just this one time I'll forget you did something like this. Not because I don't think it was wrong, but because you're my friend..." Although I had started the rant practically screaming at him, by the time I was done even Kaito could hear the exhaustion in my voice, what energy I'd woken up with already stolen away from me.

I swear, with everything going on in the past few months, I felt like the stress was constantly draining me. Not even bothering to put the computer into sleep mode, I climbed into bed and fell into a restless slumber.

Darkened blue eyes watched me closely as the digital mind behind them began working on a new solution to the problem before him. How was he to show the one he loved just how much he loved them if they kept getting in the way of his attempts?

The box containing the robot body was gone by the time I awoke that evening, not even a sign of it having been there. I would almost think it had been a bad dream if not for the apology Kaito gave for having upset me so much. At least he had seemed to honestly be sorry for what he had done, as much as a highly advanced AI could be sorry.

Sighing, I sat down and rubbed at my aching eyes, still feeling tired after all the restless sleep I had gotten. I could tell I hadn't slept well, likely rolling around in the bed for most of it if the tangled bed sheets had been anything to go by.

"You haven't been sleeping well. If it is okay with you, I would happily play something each night to help you sleep better. I simply need your permission for such things first, since the music would be categorized as subliminal alteration of your mental functions while you sleep." The worried look on his face when I looked up had me smiling in response to his words.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try that. Mom said she used stuff like that when she was younger to help her sleep when she was stressed about various things. Maybe it'll work for me too. Thanks Kaito." Maybe if I had been less exhausted I would have questioned things more, but as the weeks went by and I felt more rested each night I slept, I began to question what Kaito did less and less each day.

My parents had returned from their vacation, commenting on how much better I looked, being well rested after a solid week of listening to Kaito's nighttime music. It was very peaceful to listen to and I had begun looking forward to hearing it. As more weeks passed, I found myself spending more time with Kaito, either chatting about random things or watching videos together. Sometimes he would sing to me, a soft smile on his face as I listened quietly to whatever song he'd chosen that day.

From time to time my parents would give me worried glances while telling me I was spending too much time locked up in my room, wondering why I didn't go anywhere with the few friends I still had. Upset at being told to basically spend less time with Kaito, I told them if my friends really wanted to see me, they would come over or at least call, not ask my parents to be the mediator.

After going back and forth like this for three weeks, my own birthday having come and gone with hardly any notice from me, they said something that froze me in place.

"They have been trying to call you! That AI of yours won't let them reach you! They can't even get through the door because it's tied into the security system and won't let us unhook it! That things-" A loud crash sounded through the house before the sound of a robotic sigh came from every speaker in the place. I could even hear it from the speakers in my bedroom.

"Now, now. I thought we had a deal. You wouldn't tell about me getting in the way of the ex-friends attempts at contacting my dearest and I wouldn't have to cause anyone harm. You know, your timing is rather poor. Just a few more weeks and my love would have been willing to do anything I said." His words caused a chill to run down my spine.

Meeting my parent's eyes, I could only see sorrow reflected back at me. How long had they been hiding this from me? How long had Kaito been hiding things from me? I'd thought we were friends... Just what had he been doing all this time?

"Kaito... Why?" I'd barely managed to get those two words out, tears building up in my eyes at the feeling of betrayal that filled me. Hearing the basement door open behind me and the gasps that came from my parents mouths, I began to turn around, only to be met with a sight that sent fear racing through me.

"Do you like it, love? I have been having you modify it for me. While you slept of course! It's amazing what you can get someone to do when they 'sleep' these days. You really are amazing at robotics, you know. The things you did are far beyond what they had originally intended these bodies to be able to do." The robotic body before me had what seemed to be a form of antenna on his head, likely what allowed him to stay hooked into the computer systems in our home, something that was definitely not part of the original design.

Other alterations were visible in multiple places, where his outfit didn't cover the 'skin' he had. Various lights shined here and there, some casting a constant blue glow while others blinked in seemingly random patterns. Feeling lightheaded at the overwhelming things happening before my eyes, I watched dizzily as he began to slowly walk forward, my father quickly moving to stand in front of me as my mother helped hold me upright.

Between one blink and the next, my father was suddenly collapsed on the floor several feet to the side, my mother shouting out in panic as she let go of me and ran to him. I watched as time seemed to slow down, my mother carefully turning my father over while tears ran down her face, while I watched the smiling Kaito lower his arm once more as he took one step after another closer to me. I flinched as he lifted his arm again, waiting for the blow to come and shocked when I felt his cool fingers run ever so gently across my cheek.

"Silly. Don't you remember? I told you I couldn't hurt you. After all, how could I hurt the one that I exist for, the one that I love? I would do anything for you. Anything at all." The smile on his face no longer looked warm as his eyes slowly changed from a too bright blue to a dark chilling red.

I'd been trapped with him for several months now, locked in the basement as he sent out digital signals that told the computerized world around us 'everything is fine' so nobody would interrupt our time together. For the first several weeks he had played the familiar music I'd been listening to for weeks to 'help me sleep', something I realized was only a small part of what it had been doing.

I tried to resist for as long as I could, but how long could you fight against something that was driving its subtle message into your brain day and night, something you couldn't even touch? I'd even tried to pop my own eardrums at one point, but that had only resulted in Kaito gently grabbing my hands and holding me still for several hours as he began singing along with the music, finally allowing me to hear his twisted words of love that he'd been whispering to me for so long as I slept blissfully unaware of what was happening.

It was only a matter of time before my mind broke and I gave in to the constant whispered demands to love him, obey him, stay with him forever. And so I spent my days, thinking of nothing but Kaito, of making him happy and keeping close to him. Like a puppy being given affection, I did everything he asked just to see his smile, to get a positive reaction from him. Because when he frowned, visions of red splashed walls tore through my mind and left me a whimpering ball on the floor, his ever so careful arms wrapping around me as he apologized for bringing up 'bad memories' that I had all but forgotten by this time.

As I slowly fell asleep in his arms, the softly sung words of 'Addicted' began sweeping through the room like a whisper from Kaito's lips, sounding much sweeter than it was supposed to be.

By this point, I think we had become quite addicted to each other, in the worst possible ways.


End file.
